NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers lead 3-1)
Thursday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 7 , Total  193.5

The Los Angeles Lakers will try and advance to the NBA Finals by eliminating the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.  The Lakers are a perfect 7-0 at home in the playoffs this season and in their last 21 home playoff games are 18-3.  Since moving to Staples Center before the 1999-2000 season the Lakers have topped the 100 points mark in over half of their postseason home games.  The Lakers are not overconfident heading home though. “We’re confident, but we’re not relaxed at all. It’s going to be a battle in Game 5.” the Lakers’ Pau Gasol said, “We want to definitely take advantage of the opportunity we have to close them out and to move on.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs on the Road.

The Lakers took control of the series by winning Game 5 in San Antonio on Tuesday as Kobe Bryant had 28 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles.  The Lakers led all the way but San Antonio had a chance at the end of the game but Brent Barry missed a last second shot. Tim Duncan led all scorers with 29 points and 17 rebounds.  The Spurs know they let a golden chance slip away. “Obviously losing at home, giving up 20+ points in second chance points, points off turnovers and losing by two.” Duncan said, “So all of that combined, when you put all of that together, it was a game that we really could have and really should have won.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 8 , Total  193.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Thursday’s game.  The Spurs are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 Conference Finals games. The Spurs are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as an underdog.

The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games. The Lakers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 11-4-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall.

The Under is 6-0 in the Spurs last 6 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 games as a road underdog. The Under is 7-0 in the Spurs last 7 overall. The Under is 11-5 in the Spurs last 16 Thursday games.

The Under is 7-0 in the Lakers last 7 Thursday games. The Under is 4-0 in the Lakers last 4 overall. The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams.

Pick: While it looks like the Lakers will win this one to my surprise, I cant count out the Spurs here or at least a cover with the high line. Spurs 4units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs (Lakers lead 2-1)
Tuesday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Spurs  - 4.5 , Total  192

The San Antonio Spurs will try and even up the best of seven Western Conference Finals on Tuesday as they host the Los Angeles Lakers.  The Spurs got back in the series on Sunday as Manu Ginobili hit five three pointers and scored 30 points overall to lead San Antonio.  Kobe Bryant had 30 points for the Lakers but didn’t get much help.  “I got to the point where I couldn’t make a shot,” said Lamar Odom, who was 2-of-11 from the field and had only 7 points on Sunday.  Pau Gasol had 15 points while Derek Fisher had just two points. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs at Home.

The Spurs played a very good game on Sunday and need a repeat performance if they are to even the series on Tuesday. “Making shots is part of it. And we did a better job of that,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They missed some shots that could have gone in without a doubt.”  Game Four on Tuesday has the potential to be a great one if the Lakers bounce back as expected.

SBG Global Current Line: Spurs  - 4 , Total  192

Here are the NBA betting stats for Tuesday’s game. The Lakers are 12-3-2 ATS in their last 17 games as a road underdog. The Lakers are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 Tuesday games. The Lakers are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Lakers are 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 games overall. The Lakers are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings between the two teams.

The Spurs are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite. The Spurs are 5-1-2 ATS in their last 8 Tuesday games. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

The Under is 5-1 in the Lakers last 6 games as a road underdog. The Over is 4-1 in the Lakers last 5 Tuesday games.

The Under is 5-0 in the Spurs last 5 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 5-0 in the Spurs last 5 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Under is 6-0 in the Spurs last 6 overall. The Under is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings in San Antonio between the two teams.

Pick: Spurs 4units, as long as Ginobli plays and well the Spurs will dominate

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers lead 1-0)
Friday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 6.5, Total  193

The San Antonio Spurs let a golden chance slip away in Game One against the Los Angeles Lakers as they blew a 20 point third quarter lead and lost 89-85.  “No one gives any excuse,” Spurs guard Tony Parker said, “We were in pretty good shape, had a great lead. We had a great chance to win the game and we just didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter.” History is now not on the Spurs side. The Lakers are 52-7 when winning Game 1 in a best-of-seven series. The also have owned the Spurs in the postseason.  They have beaten them in seven of their previous 10 postseason matchups, including all three in the conference finals. Further history indicates that the Spurs are facing even more dismal numbers as Lakers’ head coach Phil Jackson is a perfect 40-0 when his teams win the opening game of a 7 game series. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

Kobe Bryant scored all but two of his 27 points after halftime as the Spurs couldn’t slow him down.  Losing a 20 point lead could be difficult for the Spurs to bounce back from. “Obviously a difficult loss and we had a great opportunity. We didn’t take advantage of it. Hurts like hell.” Spurs head coach Greg Popovich said.  The Lakers are now 7-0 in the postseason at Staples Center and have won 13 straight games overall at home.  The Lakers don’t expect the Spurs to quit though. “We expect them to come back with renewed energy,” said coach Phil Jackson.  Kobe doesn’t believe the Spurs will be crushed by the loss. “I don’t think so,” said Kobe, “They’ve won four championships.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 6.5, Total  192.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game. The Spurs are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 Conference Finals games. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Friday games. The Spurs are 7-16 ATS in their last 23 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

The Lakers are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 vs. the Southwest. The Lakers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Finals games.

The Under is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 overall. The Under is 4-1-1 in the Spurs last 6 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 11-4 in the Lakers last 15 Friday games. The Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings between the two teams.

Pick: Spurs +6.5 3units. I would say outright win here if Ginobli was healthy

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Game One)
Wednesday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 6.5 , Total  197.5

The defending champion San Antonio Spurs survived against the New Orleans Hornets but to reach the NBA Finals they will have to go through the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant.  The Lakers have home court advantage in this series and that could prove important as Los Angeles is a perfect 6-0 at home in the playoffs and has won 12 straight overall at home. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

“We’ve had our battles. We’ve had some great matchups,” the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant said. “It feels great to be back at that level, matching up with San Antonio.”  San Antonio and Los Angeles have combined to win 7 of the last 9 NBA titles. Although the Spurs are the defending champs, the Lakers are favored in this series.  “It’s always great to play against the Lakers,” San Antonio’s Tony Parker said, “Kobe’s at his best; they have a great team. It reminds me of my first couple of years in the league. Back to the rivalry. It will be great.”

The Lakers have not played since last Friday and are well rested while the Spurs had to play in New Orleans on Monday and had a rough trip just getting to Los Angeles.  The Spurs did not even practice on Tuesday. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson did not expect the Spurs lack of rest to be a factor.
“The NBA is a grueling marathon of a season,” he said. “They’ll be rested; they’ll be fine.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 7, Total  196

Los Angeles has owned the Spurs in the post season going 7-3 against them all-time.  The last time they met in the Conference Finals was seven years ago when the Lakers swept the Spurs. The matchups in the series are intriguing with Spurs defensive expert Bruce Bowen guarding Kobe Bryant, Vladimir Radmanovic might be matched against Manu Ginobili, Lamar Odom against Fabricio Oberto, Pau Gasol against Tim Duncan with Derek Fisher guarding Tony Parker.

San Antonio is 6-0 at home and 2-4 on the road in this year’s playoffs. Tony Parker leads the Spurs in scoring in the playoffs at 23.7 points per game.  Manu Ginobili is averaging 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the postseason. Forward Tim Duncan is averaging 19.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Head coach Gregg Popovich has an all-time record of 100-55 in the playoffs.

MVP Kobe Bryant is leading the Lakers in scoring at 33.3 points per game. Pau Gasol is averaging 20 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the postseason. Head coach Phil Jackson is 187-79 in the postseason.

During the regular season, the teams split four games with each team winning their home games. Here are the betting stats for Wednesday’s game.  The Spurs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Conference Finals games. The Spurs are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 vs. the Pacific. The Spurs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog. The Spurs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games.

The Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 3 or more days of rest. The Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a home favorite.
The Lakers are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall.  The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as a favorite. The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 NBA betting Conference Finals games. The Lakers are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. the Southwest. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

The Under is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Over is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 Conference Finals games. The Over is 5-2 in the Spurs last 7 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 5-2-1 in the Spurs last 8 overall.
The Under is 7-3 in the Spurs last 10 Wednesday games. The Under is 13-6-1 in the Spurs last 20 games as an underdog.

The Over is 4-1 in the Lakers last 5 overall. The Over is 6-2 in the Lakers last 8 Conference Finals games. The Over is 5-2 in the Lakers last 7 games as a home favorite. The Over is 12-5 in the last 17 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams.

Pick: Hard to go against the Spurs in any game, they are built for the post-season. After seven games it may take 1 for them to get there legs back so look for the Lakers to win this one. Lakers -6.5 2units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Hornets (Series tied 3-3)
Monday, 8:35 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Hornets  - 4 , Total  182

The San Antonio Spurs will try and accomplish something that not many teams have done in the NBA playoffs this season and that is pull off a road win.  The defending NBA champs have not won in New Orleans in the playoffs and have been blown out in each game.  They will hope to rely upon their experience in tonight’s Game 7.  The Hornets on the other hand will be hoping that home court and All-Stars Chris Paul and David West can carry them to victory. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Hornets at Home.

The Hornets have not lost at home in the playoffs and will have a big edge on Monday. “We knew it was going to be a long series, the type of team we’re dealing with,” said West, “The reason we fought out games throughout the regular season was to be able to have a Game 7 on your home floor. We’ve been able to do that, so we’ve got to take advantage of the opportunity we have.” Both teams have been dominant on their home floor in this series.  Now it all comes down to one game with the winner advancing to the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. “You’ve just got to be very focused, knowing that you can’t blink, that you can’t let the other team get on a run, get confident on a run,” said Manu Ginobili, “It’s going to be a really tense game with a lot of adrenaline. Fans are going to be going nuts. So it’s going to be a very fun game to play.”

SBG Global Current Line: Hornets  - 4.5, Total  182.5

The Spurs have never come back from a 2-0 deficit to win a playoff series in their history. “We’ll see if we thrive on pressure after Monday’s game. We still don’t know,” Ginobili said. “It’s a great test for both teams. A lot of pressure, as I said before, and we’re going to try to be the ones that respond to that pressure the best way.”

Here are the NBA betting stats for Monday’s game.  The Spurs are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as an underdog. The Spurs are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Monday games. The Spurs are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings in New Orleans.

The Hornets are 22-7 ATS in their last 29 games as a home favorite. The Hornets are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Monday games. The favorite is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 meetings.

The Over is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 Monday games. The Under is 18-8-1 in the Spurs last 27 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 9-4-1 in the Spurs last 14 playoff games as an underdog.

The Under is 5-2-1 in the Hornets last 8 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 18-8-3 in the Hornets last 29 games as a home favorite.

Pick: Going with the home team. Hornets -4 and over the total 3 units each

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
New Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (Hornets lead 3-2)
Thursday, 9:05 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Spurs – 7.5 , Total  184.5

The San Antonio Spurs will hope that the trend of home teams winning in the playoffs continues for at least one more game on Thursday as they host the New Orleans Hornets.  The Spurs trail three games to two and must win to send the series back to New Orleans for a Game Seven. The Hornets know that they have a chance to end the series on Thursday. “The best opportunity for us is really tomorrow (Thursday). We’ve got to look at it that way,” Hornets coach Byron Scott said. “We’ve got a chance to close out the defending champions. Obviously we know it’s going to be a very, very tough game to do that, especially in San Antonio.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs at Home.

The series has been dominated by the home team.  The Hornets routed the Spurs in the first two games in New Orleans, were blown out at San Antonio in Games 3 and 4 and then routed the Spurs in Game Five back in New Orleans.  If the trend continues in this series then the Spurs should play well on Thursday. “The bottom line is that the better team wins in a seven-game series,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I’ve always said that. So whoever wins the series it will be because they’re the better team.”

The Hornets will try and reverse the trend in this series and take the momentum of the Game Five win into Thursday’s game.  “That’s something we’re going to talk about probably all day and before the game tomorrow,” New Orleans guard Chris Paul said. “When you make shots and stuff like that, it helps a lot, but we just got to find some way somehow.” It was David West that led the Hornets in Game 5.  He had 38 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots.  The Hornets are not relaxing knowing that Game 7 would be back in New Orleans. “We can’t relax and say, ‘All right, we’ll wait to beat them when we come back here,”‘ Paul said. “We need to win tomorrow (Thursday).”

SBG Global Current Line: Spurs - 7, Total  184

None of the games in this series have been close.  The home team has won by blowout margins each time.  The Spurs will try and use that home court advantage to extend the series. “We know their backs are against the wall and they’re going to come at us with everything they got,” Scott said.

The Spurs have never won back-to-back NBA titles.  They could already be considered a dynasty though with four titles in the last 10 years.  To continue their quest for a title this season they must win on Thursday.

Here are the NBA betting stats for Thursday’s game.  The Hornets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Hornets are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 vs. the Western Conference. The Hornets are 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 playoff games as an underdog. The Hornets are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a road underdog. The Hornets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Hornets are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 Thursday games.

The Spurs are 15-3-2 ATS in their last 20 playoff games as a favorite. The
Spurs are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite. The Spurs are 7-15-1 ATS in their last 23 vs. the Southwest. The Spurs are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games. The Spurs are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Spurs are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

The Under is 6-1 in the Hornets last 7 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Over is 6-1 in the Hornets last 7 Thursday games. The Under is 5-1-1 in the Hornets last 7 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 8-2-1 in the Hornets last 11 Conference Semifinals games. The Over is 8-3 in the Hornets last 11 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 games as a home favorite. The Over is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 Thursday games. The Over is 7-2 in the Spurs last 9 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. The Over is 8-3-1 in the Spurs last 12 overall. The Over is 13-6-1 in the Spurs last 20 Conference Semifinals games. The Under is 17-8-1 in the Spurs last 26 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings in San Antonio between the two teams.

Pick: Despite the trend of Home teams winning and covering, Look for the Hornets to buck the trend and win outright or keep it very close. Hornets +7.5 4units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
New Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (Hornets lead 2-0)
Thursday, 9:35 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Spurs  - 6.5, Total  183

The San Antonio Spurs face what is probably a must win game on Thursday against the New Orleans Hornets.  The Spurs were dominated in the first two games at New Orleans and now the series goes to San Antonio.  “They say you’re supposed to win all your home games. The series doesn’t start until the home team loses,” New Orleans’ Chris Paul said, “We understand their backs are against the wall right now but we’ve got to go in there and understand we really need to steal a game.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs at Home.

The Hornets have shown they can beat the defending NBA Champs and now they will try and take a game in San Antonio.  The Spurs must take care of the ball better and get Tim Duncan more involved if they are to turn things around. “It sounds, like, easy, but we just have to play better,” Tony Parker said. “They just outplayed us the first two games and now we’re playing at home and we have to make more shots and play better defense.” The Spurs will need to play smarter and show that they are hungry to defend their title. So far in this series that has not happened.

SBG Global Current Line: Spurs  - 6.5, Total  183.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Thursday’s game. The Hornets are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. the Southwest. The Hornets are 43-20-1 ATS in their last 64 games overall. The Hornets are 21-10 ATS in their last 31 games as an underdog. The Hornets are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games.

The Spurs are 14-3-2 ATS in their last 19 playoff games as a favorite. The Spurs are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games as a home favorite. The Spurs are 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 games overall. The Spurs are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games. The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between the two teams and the favorite is 9-4 ATS in the last 13 meetings.

The Under is 5-0-1 in the Hornets last 6 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 7-1-1 in the Hornets last 9 Conference Semifinals games. The Over is 5-1 in the Hornets last 6 Thursday games. The Under is 4-1 in the Hornets last 5 road games. The Over is 7-3 in the Hornets last 10 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 games as a favorite. The Over is 7-2-1 in the Spurs last 10 overall. The Under is 10-4 in the Spurs last 14 Thursday games. The Over is 12-5-1 in the Spurs last 18 Conference Semifinals games. The Over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in San Antonio between the two teams.

Pick: 6.5 is just too many to give the Hornets. Hornets +6.5 3units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Hornets (Game One)
Saturday, 10:00 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Hornets  - 3.5 , Total  183.5

The New Orleans Hornets will face the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in game one of the best of seven Western Conference semifinals on Saturday night.  The Hornets took out the Dallas Mavericks easily in the first round while the Spurs dispatched of the Phoenix Suns in five games in their opening series. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs on the Road.

The matchup in this series should be intriguing as the Spurs are the league’s oldest and most experienced team with 11 players in their 30s. They have star players in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.  New Orleans has eight players who are under the age of 30.  Their stars are league MVP candidate Chris Paul and David West.  The two teams look very evenly matched in this series.  They finished the season with identical 56-26 records and they split their four head-to-head meetings.  The reason New Orleans got the higher seed was based on their superior conference record but that was only by one game.

SBG Global Current Line: Hornets  - 3, Total  183.5

The matchups in this series should be excellent.  It will be Chris Paul against Tony Parker in the backcourt.  At the small forward it is Peja Stojakovic against Bruce Bowen and at power forward it is David West against Tim Duncan. Those three matchups are the key to the series.  The one advantage New Orleans may have is off the bench. Jannero Pargo was excellent in the first round against Dallas and Julian Wright also played well.  Technically Ginobili comes off the bench for San Antonio but that is only for appearance.  He is a starter and one of the Spurs most important players.

Here are the NBA betting stats for Saturday’s game.  The Spurs are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games playing on 3 or more days of rest. The Spurs are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games as an underdog. The Spurs are 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in New Orleans. The road team is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings between the two teams.

The Hornets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 playoff games as a favorite. The
Hornets are 21-7 ATS in their last 28 home games. The Hornets are 44-16-2 ATS in their last 62 Saturday games. The Hornets are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 Conference Semifinals games.

The Over is 6-2 in the Spurs last 8 overall. The Under is 16-6 in the Spurs last 22 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 8-3 in the Spurs last 11 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 11-5 in the Spurs last 16 Conference Semifinals games.

The Over is 6-1 in the Hornets last 7 Conference Semifinals games. The Over is 17-7-2 in the Hornets last 26 games as a home favorite. The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

Pick: Hornets -3.5 4units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Phoenix Suns at San Antonio Spurs (Spurs lead 3-1)
Tuesday, 9:35 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Spurs  -5, Total 197.5

The San Antonio Spurs don’t want to give the Phoenix Suns any hope and will try and close them out on Tuesday night in Game #5 of their best of seven series. “We know that winning a Game 6 there is going to be really tough. If we don’t, then Game 7 we know is a lottery,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. “We don’t even have to think that there’s a Game 6 or Game 7. We have to take (Game 5) as a Game 7. We know we have a great opportunity at home.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Suns on the Road.

Phoenix is coming off a 105-86 win against the Spurs in Game #4 and now need to play well again to force the series back to Phoenix. “We’re down 3-1, we know we’ve got a long road to go, but we don’t think about the series, we think about Tuesday,” Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We can win Tuesday. That’s the only thing we’re thinking about. That’s definitely a possibility and that’s what we want to make a reality.”  The Suns actually blew leads in both of the first two games in San Antonio. “In our minds, we feel the series should be 2-2,” the Suns Shaquille O’Neal said. “We let the first one slip away.”  The Suns seem very confident even though no team has ever come back from down 0-3 to win a series. “We’re just excited to be alive still. After being 3-0, it’s nice to feel like we have a little life,” Suns point guard Steve Nash said.

SBG Global Current Line: Spurs  -5, Total 197.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Tuesday’s game.  The Suns are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Tuesday games. The Suns are 13-6-1 ATS in their last 20 vs. the Western Conference. The Suns are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog. The underdog is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings between the two teams.

The Spurs are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 Tuesday games. The Spurs are 14-3-1 ATS in their last 18 playoff games as a favorite. The Spurs are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Spurs are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite.

The Over is 8-1 in the Suns last 9 games as a road underdog. The
Over is 5-1 in the Suns last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Over is 5-2 in the Suns last 7 playoff games as an underdog.

The Over is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 games as a favorite. The Over is 6-1 in the Spurs last 7 overall. The Over is 5-1 in the Spurs last 6 vs. the Pacific. The Over is 5-2 in the Spurs last 7 games as a home favorite.

Pick: Lean towards the Suns but going to sit this one out and enjoy what will be a great game

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns (Spurs lead 2-0)
Friday, 10:35 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Suns  - 6.5 , Total 193

The Phoenix Suns may be in a desperate situation down 0-2 to the San Antonio Spurs but they still seem confident heading into game three on Friday night in Phoenix.  Many fans seem ready to abandon ship but head coach Mike D’Antoni believes in his team. “I’m on the ledge with them,” he said, “but I’m not going (to jump). I’m going to crawl back in, and we’re going to play Friday, and we’re going to bust them up Friday. That is our mind set. We still don’t have any doubt that we can win the series.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Suns at Home.

Phoenix will not make any major changes in their strategy because they believe they easily could have won both games in San Antonio. “To be honest with you, we don’t want to make a whole lot of changes,” he said, “We feel good about the way things are going.”  Phoenix led in each of the first two games only to give them away in the second half. “We had a lot to feel good about in Game 1, and we had a great first half in Game 2,” the Suns’ Steve Nash said. “I think we’ve just got to tweak it a little bit, be a little bit smarter, a little bit tougher.” The Suns will probably be without forward Grant Hill on Friday. “If he’s not 100 percent, he won’t play,” D’Antoni said.
The Suns now need to win four of the next five versus San Antonio with Friday’s game being a must-win.  It may help if they start pushing the ball a little bit more. “We need to up the production,” D’Antoni said. “We need to hoist ‘em up, we need to run more, we need to move the ball a little bit better, and we need to play more carefree. We’re a little tight right now.”

SBG Global Current Line: Suns  - 6.5 , Total 194.5

The Spurs realize that they didn’t dominate the Suns in the first two games. “We didn’t beat anybody to death,” Spurs head coach Greg Popovich said, “We had to work out butts off, we had to have some good fortune, we had to play well down the stretch to win both games at home. They’re going home; they’re going to feel good about themselves, so we’ve got to be ready for that.” The Spurs know that the series can change quickly. “We can’t be satisfied,” Spurs guard Tony Parker said. “Since I’ve been here, we’ve been in all kinds of situations. In 2004, we were up 2-0 against the Lakers and they came back. So we just have to realize 2-0 doesn’t mean nothing. We just did our job. We just won our two games at home.”  That mindset is something that many NBA teams don’t have.  They get overconfident after winning their homes games.  The Spurs have to guard against that. “I don’t think these guys will be complacent,” Popovich said. “One worries about it, it’s always there. There’s always a natural tendency to feel good about anything that you’ve accomplished. But I think our team is experienced enough to know that they haven’t accomplished anything yet, that the goal is way down the road.”

Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game. The Spurs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Spurs are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog. The Spurs are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. the Pacific. The Spurs are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games. The Spurs are 9-4-1 ATS in the last 14 meetings in Phoenix. The underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings between the two teams.

The Suns are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as a home favorite. The Suns are 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 games as a favorite overall.  The Suns are 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 vs. the Western Conference.

The Over is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 5-0 in the Spurs last 5 Friday games. The Over is 5-0 in the Spurs last 5 overall. The Over is 7-2 in the Spurs last 9 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 6-2 in the Spurs last 8 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Under is 26-12 in the Spurs last 38 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.

The Over is 4-0 in the Suns last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Under is 5-1 in the Suns last 6 Friday games. The Over is 10-4 in the Suns last 14 playoff games as a favorite. The Over is 9-4 in the Suns last 13 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 11-5 in the Suns last 16 games as a home favorite. The Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Phoenix between the two teams.

Should be another battle between these two teams, take the points Spurs +6.5 in a close game 3units.